The little flash on her cell shows a message, and she flips it open to see the message from Castle that came through at ten, asking whether she was off work. Damn. She could have replied to that one, too, if she'd heard the beep. The next is at one in the morning- not a demand for her company, but a request- Sweet dreams… but call me if you have a nightmare- my phone is on. She texts back still in bed, delaying the moment her feet need to hit the floor. Morning. Sorry, just saw this. Don't think I dreamt at all- didn't get out of work til three, going back there now.
Beckett swings into the break room before she can be waylaid by Jones. She can see him at the board they set up last night, and she'd like to be armed with caffeine before throwing theories around. She's just poured herself a cup and is about to replace the half empty pot into the machine when Captain Montgomery walks into the room. "Coffee, Sir?" She holds the pot out towards him, gestures towards the cups on the counter.
Montgomery nods. "Thanks Beckett. How's Rick doing?"
Crap. He knows Castle. Knows she took off early on Friday. Ugh. She needs her personal life to stay out of the precinct. Kate nods. "He's doing fine, Sir. Back at home, they only kept him in overnight."
Montgomery cocks his head as he looks at Beckett. "Good. Good to hear." He takes the coffee Kate has poured for him, and heads back across the bullpen to his office. Beckett sighs.
She's always been so grateful to Montgomery. He'd caught her in the evidence room in her first week at the twelfth, pouring over her Mom's files. "You're not authorised to be here, Officer," he'd told her. And then he'd walked back to the door. "I'll be back in another ten minutes, and when I am, I expect to find you were never here. Understood?" She'd nodded dumbly. That ten minutes had given her the chance to get the file to the photocopier across the hall, copy the pages- a sloppy, rushed job- and have the file back in place, and the room locked before her Captain returned.
Now, though- it's all just so tangled. Montgomery knows Castle, Castle's seen the box under her bed. She pinches the bridge of her nose, before steeling herself. She gulps down a mouthful of coffee, and heads back into the bullpen to see if Jones can use her on the case.
Rick groans when he sees Kate's message. She must be dead on her feet, he thinks, vowing to get a coffee to her on her break. Make her take a break, if he possibly can. He gets Alexis off to school without any fuss- the trip to L.A. didn't come up again yesterday, and he's loath to bring it up before he's really confirmed the plans with Meredith.
He dials Meredith around ten, before he can talk himself out of it- and because he knows she won't answer and he can just leave a message. The three hour time difference means it's only seven on the West Coast. To his disappointment, Meredith picks up, sounding sleepy. "Hey, Rick."
He remembers when the sound of her voice used to drive him to distraction. He always thought she sounded so innocent, and he was always so ready buy her act. He doesn't know, now, if he's angry at Meredith anymore, but he knows he's angry at himself. He let Meredith use his good will all too often, was happy to pay with his own happiness to keep his family together. It hadn't worked, yet he'd continued to let her push him around. Well. No more. "Hey, Meredith."
"It's so early- did you miss me?" It's always about Meredith, he thinks.
"No-"
"No?" She sounds sulky, the way he used to find so sexy and it just does nothing for him right now.
"No, Meredith, Alexis misses you. I just- we're coming to L.A. to see you, in another fortnight. Will you be there?" He hates that he's basically begging her to spend time with her daughter.
"But of course I will be, silly! I'm so looking forward to it! I've got the guest room all set up for Alexis, and I can't wait to see you both."
Kate's face flashes into his mind. Most of his hesitance with this trip is about her, not Alexis, he realises. "About that guest room, Meredith. Don't worry, I've booked a hotel. I think it's just- easier." What is he going to say to Kate when he runs across the country to visit his ex-wife? But he's not sending Alexis alone, that's out of the question. He wishes he could book a ticket for Kate too, that he, Alexis and Kate could simply take a weekend away, without it being about Meredith. Oh. Well. He figures they still can. They could do the skiing weekend Alexis suggested. Maybe he'll get a handle on Kate's roster and surprise her with a weekend away.
"Sure, Rick, sure." He can hear the feigned hurt in Meredith's voice and decides to give her the benefit of the doubt. Maybe she really does want to see Alexis.
They hang up, and he makes himself a coffee, before settling back into his office. He needs to get the last of this Storm done, before he can really take the bull by the horns and get into the Nikki story. It's going to be a series, he can feel it.
Kate's happy with how the case is going. She's been running down the vic's financials, and it's pretty clear something was amiss. She just can't work out what. He's been getting pretty regular payments coming from an unknown account, but the amount is a few dollars different each week. It doesn't make any sense, but it's always around to a fifteen hundred dollars. She stares at the A4 sheets before her, willing them to release their secrets. What could account for the fluxations? Aha- she has it, looking up at Jones triumphantly. "It's coming from overseas," she tells him. "That's why the amount keeps changing. I bet it's originally come from overseas and this is the conversion rate, from a steady amount."
"Not a bad theory, and I don't have anything better," he agrees. "Well, let's see if we can't trace that account, and see where the money started." Kate nods and picks up the phone. The warrant has come in, and they can get the rest of the financials released from the vic's bank.
It's early evening before Kate checks her phone. She squeezed in a vending machine snack, but it's not exactly lunch and her stomach is growling. The missed messages from Castle have her sighing- he wanted to meet her for coffee, but it looks like that window is long gone. She dials anyway, and is struck by how good it is to hear his voice when he answers. "Castle."
"Hey Castle."
"Hey Beckett." There's a lazy joy in his voice that she finds adorable, and she purses her lips sheepishly. Who the fuck is she and what has she done with Kate Beckett, to be this taken with a guy?
"Sorry I missed your messages- the day has been insane."
"Not a problem- but tomorrow I'm making you have lunch with me."
"Oh yeah? How are you going to do that?"
"I have no idea," he admits. "Are you coming round tonight?"
She nods, then realises he can't see her. "Uh-huh. If the offer is there?"
"It's there."
"Are you cooking?"
"Alexis and I are going to make burgers. Sound good?"
Her stomach answers for her, and she blushes, hoping he can't hear it through the phone. "Sounds great. I'm starving. Around seven?"
"Seven is good." They hang up, and Kate looks around the bullpen. They've interviewed a couple of potential witnesses, all of whom claimed to see nothing. They're pretty sure the bank transfers originated in Australia, but it's only eight in the morning there, so they're a few hours away from getting anything. Jones and MacKenzie are chasing down some new leads, and while Beckett is eager to stay and find out what they've learned, her shift is done, so she shuts the computer down, and grabs her jacket.
When Kate knocks on Castle's door, he's taken by how stunning she looks, but also by how tired she looks. He remembers her text from this morning and knows she's operating on just a few hours sleep. Before he can greet her with a kiss, his kid has darted across the room and barrelled into Kate.
"What can I say? I guess I wasn't the only Castle to miss you."
Kate grins and hugs Alexis back, then pecks a kiss onto his cheek, allowing Alexis to drag her into the living room. The girl chats openly about her day and Rick shrugs, heading back to the kitchen. Dinner is pretty close to done. "Do you need help?" Kate calls out to him.
He shakes his head. "It's ready." He pours Kate a glass of wine, and hands Alexis a glass of water, and they sit at the table.
Alexis is still filling Kate in. She looks tired, but she's listening to the girl. "We're going to L.A. We're going to see Mom and then we're going skiing. Right, Dad?"
"Skiing in L.A.?"Rick teases. "Afraid not. No. We're going to see Mom, and then we might go skiing another time." He watches Alexis delicately pick the lettuce out of her burger and considers whether or not he should call her on it.
"Oh yeah? You guys ski?" Kate looks up from her dinner- she's eating fast and Rick guesses this is probably the first meal she's eaten today.
Rick nods. "Yeah, we do- do you?" Well. This is a good opportunity to work out whether asking Kate to come away skiing will work. He mentally thanks Alexis, and decides to let the lettuce thing go for the moment.
"I have," replies Kate. "But cross country, never downhill. My Dad has a cabin upstate, so we tried skiing there, when I was younger. I don't know how I'd go at downhill skiing."
Alexis is watching Kate curiously. "Downhill skiing is awesome," she assures the cop. Rick's heart swells with pride. How he got so lucky with such a thoughtful kid is beyond him. She turns back to her Dad. "Are we staying with Mom?"
"Probably not, although she might want us to. She said her guest room is all set up for you."
"But where would you stay at her house- you're not going to stay in Mom's room, are you?" The nine year sounds as horrified as Kate looks, and Rick imagines he doesn't look any less perplexed.
"No! Alexis, no." Fuck. He's tried so hard to keep his romantic life away from his daughter, but evidently his indiscretions with Meredith are no secret. "I will be staying in a hotel, and it is up to you and Mom whether you stay with her, or me in the hotel. And, we will talk to Kate on the phone. I promise." The last part is as much for Kate's benefit as it is for Alexis. Fuck. He's not exactly ashamed of his colourful past with Meredith, but the last thing he needs is Kate thinking that his visit to L.A. is anything but above board.
When Alexis has gone to bed, Kate allows herself to draw breath. Rick comes back downstairs and envelopes her in a hug, and she lets the tension of the day fall away.
"That stuff about Meredith," he starts. "There's nothing for you to worry about- you know that, right?"
"I know."
"You're pretty quiet- everything okay?"
Kate doesn't know where to start. Her Dad is weighing pretty heavily on her mind- in deference to that, she didn't touch a drop of the wine Rick handed her tonight, although in her logical mind, she knows there's a big difference between having a glass of wine over dinner, and being alcoholic. She eventually shrugs. "I didn't get much sleep." Then she sighs, figures she may as well go all in. Castle hasn't run yet- she doesn't think he will, but she still thinks he should. "My Dad's drinking again."
Castle doesn't say anything, but he strokes her cheek.
"He was doing so well, when I saw him last- but- it never lasts."
"Has he tried anything- rehab or anything?"
"He goes to A.A. I think. Or, he has gone. But I think that's it. I don't know." She sighs. "I'm sorry. I'm bad company. I shouldn't have come round. I'm going to go." She figures there's no point in bringing Rick down too. She goes to get up, but he pulls her back down.
"Beckett- if you want to go, I'm not going to stop you- but stop worrying about being bad company. Just- come to bed, okay?"
Kate smiles in spite of herself and nods. "Thank you." She runs her hands through her hair, mentally clearing her head. She shouldn't even be thinking about this. She's at Castle's, about to curl up in bed. She needs a good night's sleep, and she needs her head in the case tomorrow.
